Senate honors Daryl Chappelle, Terry Gainer

Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell rarely reach consensus — but on Thursday they were in harmony praising two giants of the U.S. Senate.

Daryl Chappelle and Terry Gainer aren’t retiring old bulls or incumbent lawmakers defeated in an election, but are key cogs in running the 24-hour city that is the U.S. Capitol. Chappelle is stepping down after thousands of trips driving underground trains between Senate offices and the Capitol, while Gainer is retiring from his post as the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

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Chappelle is known for being one of the most cheerful figures in the Capitol, flashing a permanent smile as he shuttles lawmakers, tourists, staffers and reporters on the clattering trains between the Russell Building and the Senate. From Northeast Washington, Chappelle has worked in the Senate since 1972 has made more than 13,000 train trips between Russell and the Capitol, according to McConnell, spreading his cheer to the often dour lawmakers battered by daily partisan warfare.

“He’s the happiest guy you ever met. And he’s just got a genius for lifting people’s spirits,” McConnell said. “Congress may not have a very high approval rating these days, but nobody who ever had the pleasure of riding Daryl’s train could ever leave Washington without feeling just a little bit better about this place.”

McConnell also lauded Gainer, calling Reid’s choice of sergeant-at-arms “one decision that he got just right” among all of the Democratic leader’s decision that McConnell has panned.

In praising Gainer, Reid reminisced over his own days roaming the halls of Congress as a Capitol Police officer. But he said Gainer — who’s also served as Capitol Police chief — has had a much tougher job during a modern era of global terrorism.

“The Capitol policemen who work in this facility and around this great building and all the office buildings. They have so many more responsibilities than someone who was a police officer during my day,” Reid said. “Every minute of every day we have evil people trying to harm these beautiful buildings and the people that work in them.”